An Ontario, Canada, RV dealer was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to 190 charges of fraud for duping hundreds of victims across the province out of the sale of their motorhomes.
Donald Earle, 58, admitted he pilfered more than $2 million between 2001 to 2005 from customers who left their motorhomes and trailers to be sold on consignment at Barrie RV.
As reported by the Barrie Examiner, testimony showed that many of the victims were elderly and had their life savings wrapped... Read more

In response to continued market weakness and declining sales, highline motorhome builder Country Coach LLC has implemented several internal initiatives over the past eight months to “completely restructure” the company.
“The entire Country Coach management group takes seriously our responsibilities as custodians of this brand and this company,” said Jay Howard, president and CEO of the Junction City, Ore.-based manufacturer. “We have made the difficult decisions, and taken the appropriate... Read more

The House on Monday (Sept. 29) defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue package, ignoring urgent pleas from President Bush and bipartisan congressional leaders to quickly bail out the staggering financial industry.
Stocks plummeted on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote to reject the bill was announced on the House floor, according to the Associated Press.
When the critical vote was tallied, too few members of the House were willing to support the unpopular measure with elections just five weeks... Read more

The fall and winter outdoor sports show season in the Pacific Northwest opens with Washington state’s Tacoma Fall RV Show, set to run Oct. 2-5 at the Tacoma Dome.
Dealers from throughout the region will have more than 500 motorhomes, fifth-wheels, campers, tent trailers and vans on display, representing 50 manufacturers.
This year’s show will have an emphasis on “green” products and more fuel-efficient units, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
Touted as “the most eco-friendly motorhome... Read more

The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee declared Friday (Sept, 26) that an agreement on legislation to relieve a spreading financial crisis depends on House Republicans “dropping this revolt” against President Bush, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Rep. Barney Frank said leading Democrats on Capitol Hill were shocked by the level of divisiveness that surfaced at a White House meeting Thursday, not long after key congressional players of both parties declared they’d... Read more

Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. introduced the new Terry LX fifth-wheel with a distinctive two-tone, ridged front cap during the Pennsylvania RV and Camping Show Sept. 8-14 in Hershey. Built with laminated, high-gloss gel coat fiberglass sidewalls on tubular aluminum superstructures, Terry LX is available in five 33- to 39-foot lengths with up to four slideouts. The coach from the Riverside, Calif., manufacturer is equipped with radius walls and cabinets, solid surface countertops and recessed stainless... Read more

Wholesale shipments sank in August, down 44.4%, as all sectors showed sharp declines in year-over-year comparisons.
The report marked the fourth straight month that deliveries incurred 25-plus percent dropoffs. Shipments have lagged behind 2007 totals every month this year.
According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), overall August shipments totaled 16,900 units compared with 30,400 a year ago. For the eight months, deliveries fell 22.7% to 196,500 units from 254,300 the year... Read more

Cleveland, Ohio-based KeyBank in November will stop making retail loans at the RV dealership level while also exiting the commercial loan market for RVs and boats.
Dealers were told of KeyBank’s exit from the RV and boat markets in a letter Thursday (Sept. 25) from Grant H. Skeens, president and CEO of KeyBank’s Key Recreation Lending division.
“KeyBank continually reviews its business mix and opportunities and has made a difficult decision to exit the retail and commercial recreation... Read more

Although officials said rumors of Marshall Brass closing its doors are premature, the company is for sale, according to John Tracy, vice president and general manager of the longtime Marshall, Mich.-based firm.
According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, Tracy said that if the plant is not sold by Oct. 30, the owners, S.H. Leggitt Co. out of San Marcos, Texas, will auction it off and could close its doors.
Marshall Brass is a residential brass pipe fittings company that services several industries, including... Read more

Full time RV residents with ties to the state of Tennessee will be allowed to vote in the November presidential election, thanks to an agreement reached between the Tennessee chapter of the ACLU and Bradley County Election Commission.
Ron and Leone Teel and Tom Layton, who live full-time in their RVs, were among more than 250 full-time RVers who were purged from Tennessee voting rolls in 2006 based on a change in Tennessee law which prohibited people from using a commercial address to register to... Read more